German man gets 8 months of imprisonment for racist attack

A 23-year-old German man was sentenced to eight months in prison for a racially motivated attack on a group of Indians in eastern Germany in August.

Photo: German man gets 8 months of imprisonment for racist attack

Before he was found guilty of racial incitement, Frank Dietrich confessed to taking part in the attack on a group of eight Indian men in the town of Muegeln. He apologized to one of the victims.

Dietrich is the third of four suspects to be convicted for the Muegeln attack, but the only one so far to sentenced to prison. The other two were fined between 600 EUR(US$884) and 1,500 EUR(US$2,211) for shouting racial slurs, such as "Germany for the Germans" and "Foreigners Out" at the group.

One of the victims, a 35-year-old Indian whose identity was not released, testified in court that he and a group of friends had wanted to dance during a street party in downtown Muegeln, when one of the other Indians reported being shoved by a German.

Another German told the Indians that they should go, according to the testimony.

According to police, a scuffle ensued and the Indians fled, followed by a group of 30 to 50 Germans. They ran across the market square and took refuge in a pizzeria.

In addition to racial incitement, Dietrich was also convicted of damage to property, for trying to beat down the pizzeria door.

Two of the Indians were hospitalized after being beaten by the attackers.

Seventy police officers were needed to restore order after the incident, which revived concerns about racist violence in the depressed, formerly communist east.

On Tuesday, police in the eastern city of Magdeburg said they had detained a 33-year-old German who began beating on the door of his Nigerian neighbor and shouting racial slurs at her.

That incident followed two other racist attacks over the weekend in Magdeburg, including the targeting of a group of Africans, and an attack on a pregnant Iraqi woman who remains hospitalized after she was dragged from a bus and beaten.